Today has been kind of amazing in socal, 70 degrees and sunny in LA, and the perfect day to cruise down to San Diego to meet up with Mercedes-Benz AMG… came down a few hours early wanting to skip rush hour and get some work done… but it’s hard not to relax when you pull into the world of Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa in Rancho Santa Fe. So between conference calls and emails, how could i not share this HOUSE of a “room” i just checked into? So very california bungalow; comfy, cozy, and far too much space to have to myself! And truly, the perfect weather for what looks like it will shape up to be a glorious weekend to drive around with the new CLS 63 AMG. Take a peek inside my bungalow on the next page…

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Freshly back from vegas, and already lusting after where to head next! Where will your travels take you this year? Get inspired with NotVentures. Click the pics to find out more, or share your inspiring destinations of choice too!

Our final 2010 roundup, comes from our newest site of all, and perhaps the most fun to help us look forward into possibilities for the new year… even though only 2 months old, NotVentures is my daily wanderlust, making it harder and harder to stay put when there are so many places and things to see in the world! I can’t wait to see what adventures await in 2011… and what wonders we’ll all find and share! Please feel free to share places that either spark your wanderlust or that you have visited and would recommend to inspire others!

This is Part II of Justine’s LAX-LHR contribution to Operation Window Seat ~ Part I was the Tiny Planes! Now it’s a look at the stunningly snowy winter edition as she flew into the VERY snow covered UK. It’s really so amazing to see the patterns cut so crisply into the white snow, layered with the fluffy clouds! Check it all out on the next page!

Justine seems to be taking over my Operation Window Seat addiction… and is taking it to a whole new level. Armed with her new Canon 60D, on her LAX home to LHR flight, she has started taking some amazing TINY PLANE SPOTTING pics! Found these in my dropbox shortly after she got home. You have to see how incredibly tiny they look! Then let yourself imagine how many people are in there! They are pretty amazing, almost surreal, and i swear i didn’t photoshop them in! So very fascinatingly tiny, check them out on the next page!

Holiday season is officially here! Happy Black Friday! In addition to the NOTCOT Holiday Coupons and the many Holiday Giveaways that will be unfolding daily… here’s a gift guide inspired by the latest addition to the NOTCOT family ~ NotVentures. I can’t believe it’s been merely a month old already, and since it’s launch i’ve been from LA to San Francisco, Germany, Italy, Japan, and off to New York Monday! Beyond inspiring us with things to see and places to go… it’s also inspired some fun products, perfect for gifting your favorite jetsetter! See my picks on the next page…

It’s definitely Notventures Friday here at NOTCOT! Whether you’re after polar bears or scuba diving between tectonic plates, you’ll find all the inspiration you need for your next adventure at Notventures. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Blackbox Case has just launched! Beautiful wooden Macbook Pro cases hand made in Colorado and just sent over an awesome email with some great pics! Weighing in at a mere 1.5 pounds, its pretty light, AND apparently hard to crush… but most intriguing of all are the stunning details you have to see up close on the next page! Each is hand numbered, comes with a typographically stunning card welcoming you to their family by their Chief Dreamer! Each case is hand oiled with high end Tung oil finish that takes four days to complete. “It just feels velvety smooth.” Each case is precision cut, hand sanded, hand rubbed, and personally inspected throughout the crafting process. “Your case starts as two pieces of hardwood that are milled on our CNC machine. This means that your computer will fit in your case perfectly. Not tight. Not loose. Just right every time.” Stunning, right? Sadly only available for macbook pros right now, i could really use one for my air!

Here’s an excerpt from the email i received:

Why the name Blackbox?~Because I am a flight instructor in my spare time and it will keep your computer safe like the infamous blackbox in an airplane.

Who the heck are you? Do you really make these?~Yep. We’re serious. We have engineers, woodworkers, and artists handcrafting these full-time. We’re making these with love in Golden, Colorado.

What’s with the branding-iron-logo?~I’m from a small cow town in Eastern Colorado, so I thought it was fitting. That and it just looks sexy.

Can it really survive being dropped from an airplane 20,000 ft. in the air?~I’m pretty sure it couldn’t but I can’t wait to try.

What computers does it fit?~It is designed to fit a 15 in. and 13 in. MacBook Pro. You could try shaving the sides off that old PC laptop, but I don’t think that’s gonna work.

Take a peek at more details of the new Blackbox Case on the next page!

Justine just flew over to LA from London ~ and sadly the upside to terrible turbulence turned out to be amazing clouds! The type that look like a world of their own hovering above ours, as i cleaned up the pics, i couldn’t help looking for care bears in cloud cars. Then again, in the last pic, you will see the bizarre object she looked up to see flying by… turns out it was another plane! But the most fascinating part about this flight was seeing all the ice! And the fractal like patterns and twists and turns of the roads jumping out so crisply… not to mention watching the layers of clouds making incredible shadows on the ice! Take a peek at it all on the next page!